


If Life Hands You Lemons...

by Waldo



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Episode Related, Episode: s03e10 The Return Part 1, M/M, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-09-23
Updated: 2006-09-23
Packaged: 2017-10-06 02:41:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waldo/pseuds/Waldo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he'd finally had enough lemons, McKay made lemonaide.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If Life Hands You Lemons...

**Author's Note:**

> *sigh* I had to write this. That's my only excuse. Actually no, I have a better one. [](http://www.livejournal.com/users/bluebrocade/profile)[**bluebrocade**](http://www.livejournal.com/users/bluebrocade/) made me do it. (I know, I know, she's supposed to be blaming me for this, but really... I so totally blame her.) Her and [](http://www.livejournal.com/users/svmadelyn/profile)[**svmadelyn**](http://www.livejournal.com/users/svmadelyn/) for sticking me with this prompt. *sigh* Personally, the Rodney I see on the show would never 'deprive the universe of his unending talent and intellegence' by taking himself out... but nonetheless, that was the prompt.
> 
> Written for [](http://www.livejournal.com/users/summercon/profile)[**summercon**](http://www.livejournal.com/users/summercon/), where it was written: [](http://www.livejournal.com/users/thefannishwaldo/profile)[**thefannishwaldo**](http://www.livejournal.com/users/thefannishwaldo/) will be blamed for [](http://www.livejournal.com/users/bluebrocade/profile)[**bluebrocade**](http://www.livejournal.com/users/bluebrocade/)'s request -- Rodney commits suicide because he's so brokenhearted after John dumps him.

Rodney stared at the glass of water. He poked at it, sending it a few millimeters across the table and making the water slosh along the sides.

Everything was in order. He'd carefully chosen projects that would be easy to bring to a close within a few days of each other. His personal things were in order, and the only two files left on his laptop were his letter and the list of things he wanted sent back to Jeannie. Anything else of potential use had been encrypted and would be sent along to Radek in about a week. Along with a note highly recommending him to take over as Atlantis' lead scientist if/when they ever allowed the expedition to return to the Pegasus Galaxy. As an afterthought he'd added that Radek probably shouldn't be put on Sheppard's team, because he really, really hated going off world.

Sheppard.

Rodney sighed and picked up the knife. It was a ceremonial knife he'd found at a little Native American shop in town. Somehow using a butter knife from the Area 51 mess just seemed… too mundane. Too normal.

He'd thought that the old adage was right, that time would heal all wounds. Someone needed to amend the adage to deal with what happens when new wounds were heaped on old wounds before Time got around to the first batch.

Gall.

Dumais.

Monroe.

Doranda.

Griffin.

And now in the space of a week, he'd lost the first real home he'd known as an adult, he'd discovered that when he'd re-written the base code for the replicators, he'd given them the ability to attack Atlantis and now that they were back… now that they were in a more 'typical' American military setting, John had broken things off between them.

'Just until we get clearance to go back to Atlantis,' he'd said, but Rodney knew that this supposed closer scrutiny from his military superiors was just an excuse. He'd tried to argue that with him being at Area 51 while John was at the SGC there was no real reason to break up (and oh, how he cringed when he thought back to how very much he resembled a junior high girl at that point) since there'd be nothing to tip off the general with them being in different states and all.

But John had insisted, saying that it wasn't fair and that if Rodney could find someone who he wanted to be with here on Earth, he didn't want him to think he wasn't free to do so.

Rodney had finally summoned up as much dignity as he could and agreed with John to end it. Even if he hated it.

He grabbed the paper sack from the grocers and spilled the single occupant onto the table, letting it roll and wobble.

He had nothing left. No Atlantis, no team, no lover, nothing.

Nothing.

He split the lemon in half, carefully squeezing the juice into the water, watching as the dusky yellow juice swirled around, Brownian motion distributing the little particles throughout the glass.

He repeated the process with the other half before helping the little Brownians by swirling the water around in the glass.

He went into the bedroom, pulled up the letter for John – his apology for not being patient enough, not being strong enough, just not being _enough_ \- and sat against the headboard.

And drank his own version of hemlock.


End file.
